When Our Worlds Collide
by Stand Alone Origin
Summary: A battle with Naraku ensues, but suddenly four people arrive on the scene, stating that they are from the future! Surely Sesshomaru's child couldn't be a social butterfly! Better than it sounds, hints of SanMiro, InuKag, SesshMystery main character.
1. Blank Slate

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru? What do you have to say about all of this?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, and he stood silently for a moment before answering. "I do not know what you're talking about, Naraku."

"Oh? I think you know _**exactly**_ what I'm talking about." Naraku answered, smirking as he held Rin higher, a tentacle curled around her waist. "You came to save her after all, did you not?"

Sesshomaru would have answered, but Inuyasha beat him to it. "Let her go, you bastard!"

"Ah yes, Inuyasha. You had been quiet. Tell me though, why is it that the slayer and monk haven't arrived yet? Kohaku should have guided them here by now."

"Shut up!" Kagome this time, notching an arrow in her bow. "Let that girl down; I will shoot you!"

"Is that a promise to me, or a reassurance to yourself?" Naraku asked, his smirk growing wider.

Sesshomaru's eyes were narrowing to slits as they spoke, before raising Tokijin so it pointed at Naraku's face. "Put Rin down, and I will fight you."

"Is that so?" Naraku replied, loosening his tentacles slightly around Rin, causing her to slip a little. "But I'm not sure if I want to let her go. She would make a very good shield, after all."

"A…shield…?" Kagome murmured, before pulling the arrow all the way back, and aiming at Naraku's head. "Naraku! You would-?!"

"Be quiet, woman. This does not concern you." Sesshomaru spoke, cutting her off, but not taking his eyes off Naraku.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru…" Rin muttered, watching Sesshomaru with tearing eyes. But she did not speak louder, scared that she may distract the demon lord.

Inuyasha let out a growl, knowing there was little he could do. Naraku was holding the girl too close for him to try and slice the tentacle, and there was too much possibility Naraku would just move if he tried to slice the tentacle off. _Damn it!_

Suddenly, there was a ripping sound, and the facing off people turned, seeing what looked like a hole opening in front of them in the sky. It spat out four people, then closed, leaving them staring at the new arrivals.

"The hell did you do that for?! What did you just do, huh?!" A girl yelled, looking mad.

"Oh, nothing much. Just moved us a little."

"What?" She turned, looking at all of the others. "Just how far-"

Another of the people drew a sword, jumping towards her, causing her sentence to break off as she blocked.

Inuyasha, fed up with standing around and staring at the newly arrived people, jumped forward and slashed at the one that had attacked the girl, which made him jump back.

"Uncle Inuyasha!" The girl spoke, grinning when she saw him. "And Dad!" She looked at Sesshomaru.

'Uncle Inuyasha' almost fell over in surprise. Even Sesshomaru looked slightly taken aback as he sniffed at the air.

_She does smell of family, but not of full demon heritage. It is more than half, however, so who…? And why is it that this Sesshomaru does not recall other family?_

Naraku, taking advantage of the lack of attention on himself, sent a tentacle towards Kagome, aiming to get the jewel shards. But he had not thought that Kagome may still look over towards him, and she let out a surprised gasp, blasting the tentacle away from herself with her spiritual powers before he could obtain the shards.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha turned, remembering now that Naraku was there. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Inuyasha." Kagome answered, placing a hand on the small jar the shards were kept in to reassure herself that they were still there. "But please, can we get this over with before you catch up?"

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha growled, casting a look over at the girl before jumping forward, in between Kagome and Naraku.

"Wench." Naraku spoke venomously, glaring down at Kagome and Inuyasha. He then turned to look towards the girl and the other three, who were standing at what looked like an impasse. "It seems, however, that there are allies for myself as well. I would not want to give up such an opportunity."

"Lord Naraku," This was the third man, who, before then, had not been addressed nor had he seemed to move. "Your enemies, are our enemies as well. I am Tentou, and these two are my brothers, Gouka and Daichi." He fell to one knee, as did the other two.

Naraku's eyes seemed to narrow in amusement. "You seem to come from far away. I had not known that Lord Sesshomaru had a daughter."

"We come from years in the future; far away as you can get, I suppose."

"The future, hmm? Interesting." The last word was drawled out, as Naraku's gaze fell to the girl, taking in her appearance. She looked much like her father, but her hair, for whatever reason, was black instead of white. He also noticed that she wore different clothing; for there was no armor and the outfit was more of a dark grey color. "Tell me girl, do you have a name?"

"Like I'd introduce myself to you!" She snarled, her own sword drawn and she looked ready to attack. Her eyes flicked from Naraku's face to Rin, and she sheathed her sword, straightening. "But I won't fight you, either."

And then she was gone from sight, causing Naraku to look around, hoping to spot her. But, suddenly, she was standing next to him, and with on slash of her claws, Rin fell into her arms. The girl grinned slightly, and waved. "Bye." And then she jumped away.

Naraku seethed with anger now, knowing he had nothing to hold over Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's heads. Inuyasha could break whatever barrier he put up now, and not worry about hitting the child. He supposed it was time to leave.

"Tentou, I believe it is time for me to go. Seek me again, and we shall continue our conversation." Naraku said, smirking lightly as he floated up. "Inuyasha…Sesshomaru, I'll see you very soon, I'm sure."

Tentou nodded, and soon enough those three had also disappeared.

Sesshomaru looked over at the girl, who stood close to him as she set Rin down. "Girl, what is your name?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm Sora." She spoke, a light smile on her face. "Pleased to meet you."

He gave a slight nod. "I suppose so." He spoke, and, although he was meeting his daughter for the first time, there was nothing to say to her.

"Hey, Inuyasha!"

The father and daughter turned to see that Sango and Miroku had arrived, and were now standing next to Inuyasha and Kagome, looking over at them. Sora watched as Inuyasha now approached, the other three standing back, and she could see Kirara and Shippo next to them, watching as well.

"So yer from the future, huh?" He asked, watching her and thinking to himself that she really looked a lot like Sesshomaru. "An' I'm your uncle?"

Sora nodded. "Why not bring everyone over here, and I can explain what I know."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, but turned anyways. "Kagome! Get everyone over here!"

Kagome and the rest blinked, but they walked over anyways, Miroku arriving next to Inuyasha.

"Why hello, and who is this beautiful-"

WHAM.

"I don't care if I haven't met her before; you ain't askin' my niece any of that crap!" Inuyasha growled, hand curled into a fist as he watched Miroku cradle his aching head. "So don't even think about it!"

"Niece?" Sango asked, looking over at Sora. "Sesshomaru had a daughter?"

"Not in this time, specifically." Sora replied, stepping forward. "But in the future, yes."

"In the…future?" Kagome asked. "Like in my time?"

"No, not that far, Aunt Kagome." Sora chuckled lightly. "Oh, and my name's Sora, by the way."

"So what brings you into this time, if you're from the future?" Miroku spoke from his place on the ground, looking up.

"Tentou and his goons are enemies of ours; well, vassals of an enemy, anyways. I guess that Daichi has the ability to move through time and space, because we were fighting in a field in my time last I checked."

"Who is this other enemy that you spoke of?" Sesshomaru asked, watching his daughter closely.

"A woman named Motoko, who wants our lands. She's always hiding behind those three, and she never stays long enough for any of us to get a killing blow in, which is probably why I'm here now." Sora put a thumb to her mouth in thought. "But what could they want here, I wonder…"

"If they're the ones who brought you here, how do you plan on getting back, Sora?" Kagome asked. "After all, they disappeared…"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, I guess that I need to hunt them down again, huh?"

"You should travel with us, then!" Shippo piped up, grinning. "After all, they went with Naraku, right?"

"…Right." Her eyes then shot up from Shippo to Kagome. "Naraku?"

"Yeah, you've heard of him in your time?"

"Man, I hadn't thought I'd gone back this far!" She said with a growl.

"Why? How far did you go back, Sora?" This was Sango.

"Maybe twenty years or more." Sora bit her lip. "Damn. This is way worse than I thought."

"That's bad? How?"

"Well, not only do I have to deal with Tentou, Daichi, and Gouka, and find a way home, but there's also Naraku!" She growled, clenching her hand into a fist.

"Then you _**should**_ travel with us, Sora." Kagome spoke. "After all, we _**are**_ hunting Naraku down as well."

"Yeah, we ain't gonna let you just wander around alone." Inuyasha added gruffly. "Safer in groups…y'know."

At this point, Sesshomaru spoke up. "If she is to travel with the lot of you, I shall come as well." He glanced at Miroku. "I would not want anything disagreeable to take place."

Miroku coughed into his hand, looking away.

"It probably would be a good idea." Sora spoke thoughtfully. "I'm not worried about anyone in particular, but it would make fighting easier if we were to present a united front."

Sango nodded in agreement. "So, Inuyasha, will you try and get along with Sesshomaru?"

"Hey, why're you only asking me?! Ask him that, he's the one who-"

"Uncle Inuyasha."

"What?!"

"They left."

"Damn it."

_ If it's all right with you people, can I have at least one review per chapter, so you can tell me if you like it so far? Please? _


	2. Questions of Blood

"So, Sora-chan, can you tell us a little about your time? Like your life, while we're waiting to eat?" Kagome asked, smiling, as she looked over at her niece, who she suspected might be older than she was.

"…Yeah, I guess so. Although, I really can't say too much…don't want to screw it up any." Sora answered, looking thoughtful. "So, shoot."

"I have one!" Shippo spoke. "How is it you know so much about time travel and stuff?"

"Ah…stories from Aunt Kagome's time. Two of my siblings actually have names similar to those of manga characters." Sora answered, chuckling to herself. "They fight about it a lot."

"Yeah? Sure they're Sesshomaru's kids, then?" Inuyasha asked, with a snicker. Sora and Kagome frowned.

"That's not very nice, Inuyasha. Sora-chan may not answer your questions if you keep that up." Kagome spoke.

"Yeah, Uncle Inuyasha, don't you want to know how many kids you have?"

Inuyasha, who had been taking a sip of the pop that Kagome had brought, spit it out. "Kids?! What're you talkin' about?!"

"Kids." Sora reiterated, sensing her father was fairly amused as well. "You know, offspring, children?"

"If Inuyasha has children, I do hope that means I do, as well." Miroku spoke up, smiling lightly. "Could you tell me how many?"

"Ah…five-ish?" Sora spoke, after a while. "They wander…it's hard to tell sometimes."

_Five-ish? What kind of number is that?_ Sango wondered, eyebrow raised slightly.

"Sora-chan, how many siblings do you have?" Kagome asked, stirring at the stew before bringing the spoon up to her face and blowing on it to cool it. She sipped the stew inside, before nodding to herself.

"Oh…Counting Rin, six."

_So Sesshomaru has six children_? Kagome stirred the stew thoughtfully, before speaking. "You never told us who your mother is. Would you?"

"Ah…I don't think that would be smart." Sora answered, glancing over at her father. "Names of spouses are best kept secret, I think."

"Oh…I suppose so."

Sora nodded, and then looked down at the stew. "Is it close to being ready, do you think?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Kagome looked over at where Sesshomaru sat upon a large root, looking bored. "Will you eat something with us, Sesshomaru?"

"This Sesshomaru does not eat human food." Was the simple answer Sesshomaru spoke, his eyes closed. "Do not assume otherwise."

"…Right. Why don't you come closer to the fire, Rin-chan?" She then asked, turning to where Rin sat next to her guardian, silent. "Are you hungry?"

"I…" Rin glanced up at Sesshomaru, who merely gave a slight nod. She stood. "Thank you, Kagome-nee-san."

"You can just call me Kagome if you want, Rin-chan. We're all friends here."

"Oh…Okay, Kagome." Rin replied, taking the bowl of stew Kagome offered to her and beginning to eat. "Mmm! This is really good!"

"Yeah. Thanks, Aunt Kagome." Sora spoke, nodding in agreement with Rin.

"You're welcome, Sora-chan." Kagome smiled at her niece, and then turned to Inuyasha. "How come you never say thanks for your food, huh?"

"What?" He asked through a mouthful of stew.

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo said nothing, opting to stay out of the upcoming battle they knew was to follow. Rin, however, watched with interest while Sora watched somewhat boredly, as though she'd seen it all before.

"Don't ask me what! You know exactly what I'm talking about! Everyone else says thanks, but all you do is complain!"

Inuyasha blinked. "Uh…Thanks, then?"

If he had thought that saying this would quell the demon inside of her, Inuyasha was horribly mistaken. "You didn't mean it! Sit, boy!"

"Fu-" Inuyasha flew into the ground with astounding speed, arms outstretched to save the bowl of stew. He lay in the crater for a moment, before finishing his thought. "-ck."

Sora paused her eating with a blink, and turned to Kagome, swallowing her food. "What was that, just now?"

"That?" Kagome asked, pointing to the Inuyasha crater. Sora nodded. "That was a sit…Don't I do that in your time, too?"

"Nope." Sora replied, looking thoughtfully down at her Uncle. "I noticed before, he's wearing a fang necklace…that's what does it, right?" She asked, pointing to her neck.

"Yes, Lady Kaede-"

"Who's that?"

"You don't know Lady Kaede?"

"Kagome, you might not know this, but our time is obviously different from yours." Miroku stated, after taking a sip of the broth. "Lady Kaede is in her fiftieth year or so; people here are lucky to make it to forty. And, seeing as Sora is from twenty years or so in the future, I would not be surprised if Kaede died before she was even born."

"Oh, I guess so." Kagome spoke, looking thoughtful. "I think I do remember learning something about that in History class…"

Sesshomaru watched with indifference, before he finally spoke to Sora. "What are the names of your eldest siblings?"

"Well, my older sister's Shirayuki, then Toushirou's my elder brother…" Sora replied after a moment, seeing no harm in answering the question. "They're the ones that fight all the time."

_Shirayuki and Toushirou…white snow and winter…Not half bad names, I suppose…_Sesshomaru thought to himself, watching as Kagome and Shippo bombarded his daughter for facts. _Although the fact that they constantly bicker makes me wonder about their personalities..._

"So, Sora-chan, you're third oldest? You have three younger siblings?"

"Right. And some nieces and nephews."

Upon Sesshomaru's glance over at her, she added to the statement. "From Rin."

Sesshomaru merely nodded and turned away again, staring out at the woods next to him.

Hours went by, and soon, every human and small demon had gone to sleep, leaving only Sora, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru awake.

"…So, I think I'm going to get some sleep." Sora eventually spoke before yawning, covering her mouth. "Night, Uncle Inuyasha, Dad."

"Yeah, night."

"Hnn."

Sora then proceeded to walk over to a tree opposite Sesshomaru's, sitting down against the trunk and crossing her arms, before closing her eyes and settling back against it. It didn't take long for her to fall fast asleep.

_The room was dark. The floor was colder than it should have been. Mom and Dad…Something was wrong. Where were Shirayuki and Toushirou? Shouldn't they be here, too?_

_Standing, walking…Where was everyone? Why couldn't she see, although her eyes were wide open?_

"_Why hello there."_

_Why can't I see? Where are you? Who are you?_

_Blood. Why was there blood?_

_Pain. Why was there pain?_

"_Are you lost, little one?"_

_A hand on her head; warmth._

_A sudden cough; explains the blood and pain._

"_Why don't you come with me? We can find your parents."_

_No…something's wrong. Why can't I see? Why is it hard to breathe? Am I dying now?_

_More coughing…What's wrong with me? Is it time for sleep? Can I die now?_

_I can't breathe._

With a cough, Sora awoke, finding herself still leaning against the tree. Looking up, she saw that Inuyasha was crouched in front of her, while the rest of the group, save Rin, Shippo, and Sesshomaru, were behind him.

"Sora-chan? Are you all right?" Kagome asked, watching her niece worriedly. "You were coughing a lot."

"Oh? Don't worry, Aunt Kagome, I'm fine." Sora spoke, rubbing an eye sleepily, before glancing down at the hand she'd been coughing into.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha seized her wrist, looking down at her palm. "Is this blood?"

"I'm fine." She replied, pulling her hand away before the rest joined in. _Now Dad really looks interested. _She thought, holding back a sigh.

"Blood?" Kagome moved in closer, next to Inuyasha. "Sora-chan, were you coughing up blood?"

"No, I probably just bit my lip or tongue while I was asleep." Sora replied, standing. "I'm going to wash it off; I'll be back in a bit."

Kagome watched the girl walk off worriedly, before turning to Inuyasha. "Did she?"

"No. It wouldn't have come off like that." Sango put in, while Inuyasha nodded.

_Poor Sora-chan…What could be so wrong, that she coughed up blood?_

_Damn._ Sora got to a river near the campsite and crouched, putting her hands into the water and rubbing them together. _Why now? Why right after I meet them, and at the same __**damn **__time, no less?_

Bringing her hands out from underwater, Sora studied the palms in the moonlight, before cupping them underwater and splashing her face. _I don't want them knowing…Better to find out later on, but definitely not now._

Kagome frowned as she settled into her sleeping bag, next to a still sleeping Shippo. _What could cause someone…especially a demon…to cough up blood like that? Could she be sick? Injured, maybe? No…Inuyasha would have smelled the blood…Then maybe…she's sick._

Walking back into the camp about ten minutes later, Sora sat back down against her tree, pulling a knee up against her chest. _I can't risk it…I won't sleep tonight. It shouldn't be too bad; I don't need an awful lot._

And so she stayed up all night, wondering just how her parents were doing back home._  
_


	3. Communication is Key

The morning brought with it pointed silence from Sora, despite how Kagome tried to talk to her about the blood from the last night.

"Sora-chan…"

"Aunt Kagome, it's fine. If it was something I couldn't handle already, I'd tell you about it. Okay?" Sora asked, eating her breakfast in the same place as she'd 'slept.'

Sesshomaru watched the exchange with a bored look on his face. _She may not tell them now, but she will probably say it eventually. We must simply wait._

"Coughing up blood, eh?" Naraku murmured, sitting in front of Kanna and her mirror with a smirk. "Were you aware of this, Tentou?"

"It's happened before, yes. I know the perfect circumstances to cause it as well."

"Good…I may call upon that knowledge sometime soon."

"Of course."

"Perhaps we should get going." Miroku spoke, hoping to cut into Inuyasha's train of thought, which looked dangerously close to him deciding to do something to get himself killed by Sesshomaru. "After all, you were saying you wanted to go to your time, isn't that right, Kagome?"

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that!" Kagome replied, before turning to Sora, glad they could get away from the awkward silence. "Have you ever been to my time, Sora-chan?"

"Yeah, a few times when I was younger." Sora answered, handing over her empty bowl. "It was mostly whenever we were babysat because Mom and Dad needed a break."

"I see. Well then, let's clean up and then we can get going." Kagome spoke, before beginning to put stuff into her over large backpack. Sango helped by rolling up the sleeping bags and blankets, while everyone else stood in wait.

Sora stood leaning against the tree, her eyes closed. _Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep at the village. It's been a few days, after all…_ She cracked an eye open, watching as Kagome stood, before pushing herself away from the tree.

"We're ready." Kagome spoke, getting onto her bicycle.

"Let's get going, then." Inuyasha spoke gruffly, crossing his arms in his sleeves and walking away. This caused Sora to grin lightly, following after him.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes in a silent sigh, but walked behind the rest of the group nonetheless, unspeaking, as Rin moved towards Kagome to talk to Shippo, who sat in the basket.

"So Sora…that whole kids thing from last night…"

"Ah, you do want to know, then?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Was her uncle's answer, as he looked away.

A grin on her face, Sora chuckled lightly before speaking again. "Counting Shippo, eight."

Inuyasha gagged on air for a moment, almost falling over before righting himself and staring at his niece. "_**Eight**_ kids?!"

"Ha…Yeah. Eight, but that's counting Shippo. So, technically, it's only seven kids." Sora replied with a laugh.

"Still!" Inuyasha replied, with a yell. "That's seven frickin' kids!"

"It's not that huge a deal. Most are grown."

"How many's most?"

"Five above ten."

"Holy crap!"

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome asked, looking up from where she had been talking with Sango.

"Nothing." Was Inuyasha's curt reply.

There was silence for a good part of the rest of the walk, until the group could finally see the village in the distance.

"We're nearly there!" Shippo spoke, grinning widely as he looked over the basket of Kagome's bicycle.

Sora looked up and nodded slightly, watching as they neared the village.

"Sora."

She looked over quickly, seeing Sesshomaru watching her, before turning and walking over to him, falling into step a pace behind him. "Dad?"

"The blood." He spoke, not even looking back at his future daughter as they walked.

"Ah." Sora glanced up at his face, before biting her lip. "It's…under control, Dad."

"Under control?" Sesshomaru asked, turning to look at his daughter. "Was it under control last night?"

"I stopped when I woke up, didn't I-"

"And if you hadn't woken up?" Sesshomaru stopped, turning to her completely. "Then what?"

"I would have eventually-"

"Eventually. Eventually being when Inuyasha or I woke you up, or when you woke yourself up?"

Biting her lip again, Sora didn't answer. Best to let her father finish, first.

"If you just tell me what is wrong, you will be better off in case it manifests again." Sesshomaru ended, closing his eyes before reopening them, watching Sora.

She swallowed, opening her mouth to speak after a pause. "Dad-"

"We're here!"

The happy yell came from Shippo, before he and Rin scampered off, taking Kirara and a highly annoyed Jaken with them.

Sora turned to her father with a light, wry smile. "If it happens again, I'll tell you, Dad. I promise."

Sesshomaru didn't reply, watching as Sora hurried to catch up with the rest of the group, debating whether or not he should just pull her back and force her to talk about it.

He decided against it, however, and merely began to walk again, staying behind the group. He knew she would tell him…eventually.

---

"This is my stop." Kagome spoke, smiling as she neared the entrance to Inuyasha's forest. "I'll be back in a few days."

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry it up."

"I will, don't worry." She waved, before turning and walking away, towards the well.

---

"So ye need to find these three demons before they find Naraku again?" Kaede asked, looking around the room at the group of people. The Daiyoukai Sesshomaru stood as far away from the rest as possible, though his eyes, she noticed, did rest squarely on the girl, Sora, who had taken Kagome's usual place at Inuyasha's side. My, but this was surely a first, even in such long years.

"Right." Sora spoke this time with a slight nod, feeling self-conscious of her father's gaze. "They're sure to find him soon, with Daichi around."

"Then it is imperative to find them soon. You'll be leaving after Kagome gets back?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha replied, crossing his arms with a light sigh. "It would be a hell of a lot easier if she hadn't gone back, though."

---

"I'm home!"

"Oh, hello, honey." Kagome's mother, Aki, looked up from her cooking. "Back for a few days?"

"Yeah. I've got a question first, though." Kagome spoke, setting her large backpack onto the ground. She'd probably get to school a little late, but oh well.

"Go ahead."

"What could be wrong if someone…coughs up blood?" Kagome asked, remembering her niece as another feeling of worry passed over her. It was possible it could happen again, and it would be hard to stop…

"Is this one of your friends, Kagome, or you?" Aki asked, watching her daughter as she set some breakfast down in front of her.

"A friend. Inuyasha's brother's daughter, to be exact."

"A demon, right?"

"Yeah, but I doubt that would change much."

"Well, all I can think of is tuberculosis, or some other thing happening with her throat or lungs."

"Oh. Well, maybe I can look some more stuff up after school."

---

The sky was beginning to darken. Sora sat comfortably on a branch, watching as Rin and Shippo still played with the village kids and Kirara.

"Hey, it's time for dinner!" Inuyasha spoke, walking over from wherever he'd been, most likely the hut. "Ya can come back and play tomorrow, or somethin'."

"Okay!" Shippo and Rin chirped, as they began to run towards the village, waving goodbye to the other children.

Sora hopped off of her branch, making a note to herself to come back later, if she couldn't sleep again. She was quiet as she walked next to Inuyasha, noting to herself that she was getting hungry.

"Hey, Sora."

"Ah?"

Inuyasha turned to her, a light, barely there blush on his features. "Me and Kagome…get along, right?"

"Of course." Sora turned to look at him. "Why wouldn't you, Uncle Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked away, shrugging. "I don't know."

Sora smiled lightly. "It's fine, Uncle Inuyasha. Everything'll turn out good, you'll see."

"Yeah. You ain't so bad for being Sesshomaru's kid, I guess."

"Ha…Thanks."


	4. Knowledge is Everyone's Best Weapon

_Wow, I have no life. Seriously. Finished these last two chapters this weekend and everything, disregarding work I should be doing for school. Sad? Yes, I should think so._

Dinner passed without incident, and, as it came time to get to sleep, there was nothing off about that, either.

As Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Rin got settled in inside of Kaede's hut, Sora, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha all moved to different places to spend the night. Inuyasha only moved as far as the roof of Kaede's hut, but Sora and Sesshomaru both went to the forest, Sora again going to her branch from before, whereas Sesshomaru opted for the ground, sitting on an old tree stump.

"G'night, Dad." Sora spoke quietly as she crossed her arms and leaned back against the tree trunk, closing her eyes.

A mere sound of acknowledgement was Sesshomaru's reply, and he glanced up at his daughter before turning back to facing forward.

"_**Sora**__."_

_Ah? This voice sounds familiar. "Yeah?"_

"_**I hear you've disappeared**__."_

"_Guess I have, Hikari-san. I'm fine, though."_

"_**That's good**__** Where are you, exactly**__?"_

"_In the past, I guess. Everyone's okay?"_

"_**Yes, they're more worried about you, I'd think**__."_

"_Of course. I've found Dad in this time though, so it'll be fine. The trouble trio are here too, though, so that could pose a problem."_

"_**We'll get to work on getting you back…Don't worry**__**. Until then, hang in there, alright, Sora**__?"_

"_Yeah. Later."_

As she slept, Sora shifted slightly, before beginning to wake again. As she cracked an eye open, she noted with some satisfaction that it was dawn. Happy that she had managed to sleep through the night, she looked down, seeing her father still sitting in the same place as before.

_Dad._ She thought back on her father in her time, with his calming presence, and her mother, always there if she'd needed her…

"You're awake?"

"Oh, yeah." Sora spoke, shaking herself out of her slight flashback moment to answer her father. "I guess we should get to breakfast, huh?"

"Hnn. Maybe not just yet." Sesshomaru spoke, watching as she hopped down. "Most of them may not even be awake."

"True." Sora looked around. "So what shall we do until then?"

No answer came. This didn't surprise Sora, so she spoke again. "I can tell you a bit about Mom, if you want."

Sesshomaru glanced over at his daughter, seeing a light smile on her face. "How much will you say?"

"Nothing incriminating, I guess, but I can give you the gist of it." Still smiling lightly, Sora paused a moment before speaking again. "Mom is…strong. You two get along well, but she's also not afraid to speak her mind about stuff. She's probably one of the best female role models for us to have, if not the best. She treats us well. If she didn't…" Her smile widened, if only for a moment. "…I suppose that I wouldn't have younger siblings."

Sesshomaru nodded. She was surely biased, true, but by all accounts this woman seemed worthy to have mated him. And, apparently, he hadn't lost his edge if he had read her last sentence right. "I see."

Sora nodded, still smiling lightly as she sat against the trunk of the tree.

"You won't say anything more." Sesshomaru spoke, a statement instead of a question.

"I don't think so. You can ask more, if you want, and I may or may not answer."

"Your siblings."

"Shirayuki and Toushirou? What do you want to know about them?"

"What are they like, and how old are they, approximately?"

"Shirayuki was…ah, 21 last time I checked." Sora spoke after a short pause. "And Toushirou's the same age as me, although slightly older."

"Twins?"

"Yeah."

"I see." Sesshomaru nodded slightly as he spoke, knowing Sora still had more to say.

"So let's see…Shirayuki's a lot like Mom, actually. She's kind of less of a fighter, but she will if she has to. And Toushirou's definitely a fighter. Probably spent too much time around Uncle Inuyasha as a kid, or something."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. So, he really did raise his children around his half-brother and friends, huh? It didn't seem to have caused any lasting brain damage with Sora, so maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

"Anything else, Dad?" Sora asked, looking at him.

"No. They'll probably be up right now, though."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Both stood and began to walk towards the village, where the villagers were beginning to wake and start their days.

"This place seems used to having demons around." Sora spoke, looking around as the villagers merely moved around them.

"With Inuyasha always around, I would not be surprised." Sesshomaru replied simply, not at all happy about the human scent surrounding him. His mutt of a brother must really have a bad sense of smell, to hang around so many humans all the time.

"Ah, I suppose so." Sora slipped into Kaede's hut, seeing the rest of the group sitting around the fire, with Kaede making breakfast. She glanced back to say something to her father, but when she looked back, he was gone. She frowned lightly. _Gone, huh?_

"Hey, Sora. Are ya coming in, or what?"

Sora looked over at her Uncle, before nodding. "Yeah."

The day passed by quickly, and by the time that it came to be night again, Sesshomaru was still gone.

"Don't worry, Sora-chan." Rin spoke, looking up at her future sister. "Lord Sesshomaru likes to go to different places alone a lot. He'll be back soon."

"Ah, I suppose so, Rin-chan. I don't think I've seen Jaken much, now that I think of it." Sora spoke, looking down at the younger girl.

"Yeah, he likes to leave a lot, too." Rin looked up at her. "So, awhile ago you said I had kids, right?" She asked, a small grin on her face.

"Right, right." Sora spoke, nodding. "Are you happy?"

"Yes! Rin has-I've always wanted kids!" Rin spoke, enthusiastically.

"Yeah? Well, you've got some. Now, how's about we get you back and in bed, eh?"

"Okay!"

Sora smiled lightly, before standing and walking next to Rin.

"So you know me in your time, Sora-chan?"

"Ah, yeah. You're like my older sister, in my time." Sora answered, looking down at her. "And like a daughter to Dad."

Rin beamed. "That makes me happy!"

Sora smiled. "I'm glad, Rin."

---

"Sora's been sent to the past."

The 3 occupants of the room looked up at the woman standing in the doorway.

"The past?" A boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sesshomaru watched as the woman entered; she walked over to the cushion opposite him, and sat down. "You're sure, Hikari?"

"If I wasn't would I tell you?" She asked with a smile, before looking to Sesshomaru's left and right. "Hello, Shirayuki, Toushirou. Your mother's putting the other kids to bed, huh?"

Shirayuki nodded slightly. "With Rin's help, of course."

"Of course."

"Sora's okay though, right?" Toushirou asked, leaning forward.

"She says she is. She's found you in the past apparently, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru merely nodded, seeing no reason to correct the elder demon's lack of honorifics. "I see. Tentou has gone as well, then."

"Correct."

"I want to go."

Shirayuki, Sesshomaru, and Hikari turned to Toushirou, who was standing, looking his father straight in the eye. "For what reason?"

"It's all good and well that you three can try and get Sora back by reading through scrolls and magic and _**thinking**_ about it, but, frankly, I suck at that sort of thing. And Dad, even with you and Uncle Inuyasha in that time with her, we can assume she's further back in time than any of us kids have been alive. Meaning you haven't fought Tentou and them yet; you don't know what you're up against, and half the time she's in no condition to fight for an extended period anyways, especially if it's against any one of those three. So, I want to go. I can probably help that way." Toushirou spoke, watching his father.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, before nodding. "You may go."

Toushirou nodded, before turning to Hikari. "Can you send me to the past, then, Hikari-san?"

"Of course, of course. Just give me some time to get ready." Hikari spoke, standing up and leaving the room.

"Thanks." Toushirou spoke, before sitting back down and running a hand through his white hair with a sigh.

"Don't forget to tell your mother." Sesshomaru spoke, sipping his tea, his eyes closed.

"I won't."

Shirayuki smiled, sipping her own tea. "Just be careful, Toushirou. Don't get yourself killed."

"Ha." He looked up at her, an almost wry smile on his face. "I won't."


	5. Watch The Sky

Sesshomaru was walking quickly, Jaken tagging along with some difficulty. He had smelled her, he knew it. And then there she was, standing with a smirk and crossed arms.

"Kagura."

"Lord Sesshomaru. Long time no see." She spoke, placing her fan in front of her mouth. She chuckled. "I hear you've got yourself a daughter. Care to tell me who the lucky woman is?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Did Naraku send you?"

"Just came to give you a heads up. Whatever she's got up with her, he knows. So watch out, if you want her to stay out of his hands." Kagura spoke, in

And then she was gone, flying away on her feather after a sudden gust of air. Jaken hurried up, breathing heavily and leaning against the staff of two heads for support.

"Uh…um…m'lord?

Sesshomaru turned on his heel, walking past the toad demon without even a look back in his direction. "We are going back, Jaken."

"Of-of course, m'lord!"

Sora sat on the branch of what just might be her new favorite tree, having just gotten back from putting Rin to bed. She sighed, beginning to wonder just where her father was when he walked into the clearing, effectively startling her. So much for not being able to sneak up on a dog demon. Sheesh.

"Sora." He spoke, moving closer to her tree.

"Yeah?"

"_Whatever she's got up with her, he knows."_ He shook his head. "Never mind."

"Uh…Okay." Sora spoke, shrugging and settling back against the tree trunk. "Good night then, Dad."

A sound of acknowledgement from him, and she was asleep.

The next day, Kagome finally got back. Inuyasha and Shippo met her at the well.

"Finally!" Inuyasha spoke, picking up her large backpack with one hand. "Took ya long enough."

"Didja miss her, Inuyasha?"

"Shut up!" WHAM.

"Oww! Kagome!"

"Sit, boy!"

"Arghh!" SLAM.

At the village, Sora and Sesshomaru sighed. Even Sango, Miroku, and Kaede had to sigh after hearing the sounds.

Kagome and Shippo got back first. Inuyasha soon followed, having to lug the backpack in, with dirt streaks on his face. He scowled, dropping the large bag next to Kagome before sitting down between Sora and Miroku with what looked like a light pout on his face. Sora suppressed a light giggle.

"So what way do you think we should go?" Shippo finally asked from his seat next to Rin.

"Well, it seems as if Naraku headed north, so that would probably be the best direction to start towards." Miroku spoke.

Sora nodded slightly. "Yeah. And knowing Tentou, there's a good chance that they've already found Naraku again."

"You know, we should probably find out more about Tentou and those other two before we go search for them anymore." Sango said, petting Kirara. "That way, we can be at least a little more prepared when we go into battle."

Sora nodded slightly, before speaking. "Well, as everyone knows, there's Tentou, Daichi, and Gouka. Tentou…I have to say from watching more than anything, as I've only really fought him once…But he's a tough looking guy. He uses a halberd. Dad, you're the one who's always fought him, so he's going to know your moves. Daichi, I've fought only a couple times. He's got a really random style of attacking, for sure, from what I've seen and gone against. He uses two long swords connected by a chain on the hilts. And Gouka, I have fought almost every time. He uses a three-pronged sword. He knows my moves best by now, but I'm also used to his. So if we're fighting, he'll usually go to fight me, and I usually fight him."

Nods of understanding went around the room, and Sora fell silent once again.

"Have I ever fought one of these guys, Sora?"

"Ah…You've fought Daichi, a few times."

"Daichi? Alright." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, standing. "Well, we've got nothin' else to talk about. We might as well go!"

And so the group left the village.

Their travels north soon brought the group to a large mountain range, where a thin looking trail wound up and into the mountains. The sun was beginning to set, though, so the group decided they would camp out for the night.

Sora sniffed at the air, a strange look on her face. Kagome looked over at her. "Are you all right, Sora-chan?"

"Yeah. I just thought I smelled something." Sora answered, still turned towards the mountains. "It's probably nothing, though."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to start dinner soon, then…Can you go get some firewood for me, please?"

"'Course, Aunt Kagome." Sora replied, turning towards the trees a ways off and jumping off.

Upon getting back, Sora set the wood down in front of her aunt, before sitting down. "So, Aunt Kagome. You want to know what I found?"

"What, Sora-chan?"

"A hot spring." 

"Really?" Kagome looked up at her niece happily.

"Yeah." Sora replied, nodding slightly. "It's not far. I can show you a bit later on."

"Okay!"

After that, the two were silent, and Kagome started up the fire to cook the food. Sora sat back, using her arms to hold herself up as she watched Kagome cook.

"So, Sora-chan, what kind of food do you like?"

"Well, I'll eat mostly anything. Although I have to say, I'm quite fond of shougayaki. We have it every time we drop by the present to Aki-o-ba-san's."

"Oh? That sounds like fun."

"Yeah. She always spoils us a little when we go over there."

"That sounds like Mom alright."

Sora nodded, looking reminiscent as she looked up towards the sky. "Yeah."

Kagome smiled over at her niece. "You have a good relationship with your mother, don't you, Sora-chan?"

"Ah, you can tell?" Sora asked, looking over. She then smiled lightly before speaking again. "Yeah, I have a good relationship with her."

"So, your mother…do we know her now?"

"Know her now?" Sora's gaze turned back to the sky, and she looked up at it for a while. "Yeah, you could say that, I guess."

Kagome turned back to the stew at that point, getting the feeling Sora wouldn't tell much else. She stirred it slowly.

"It seems Sesshomaru's feelings about humans haven't quite been inherited by Sora, hmm?" Miroku murmured to Sango, as they watched as Kagome and Sora talked.

"Quite? How about not at all?" Sango replied, petting Kirara. "Speaking of Sesshomaru; has he disappeared again?"

"It seems so."

"Pfeh! He's probably just gone off further away because he can't stand us. I say good riddance." Inuyasha spoke from his seat near the two.

"Inuyasha's just in denial." Shippo whispered to Rin. "He actually misses Sesshomaru already, I bet."

Rin nodded in agreement.

"Hey, you say something, ya twerp?!"

"Aghh!"

Sora and Kagome watched as Shippo was chased by Inuyasha, before Kagome turned to Sora. "So what is Shippo-chan like in your time, Sora-chan? Has he married?"

"No, but he's had quite a few women and fathers come asking already." Sora spoke, smiling again at another memory, it seemed. "He's always refused though; he says he's waiting for someone."

"Oh, how romantic…" Kagome answered, getting a sparkly look in her eyes as she turned back to the stew. "That he'll wait for someone he truly loves…"

"Yeah." Sora replied, turning back towards the sky and laying back completely. "Wake me up when dinner's ready." She spoke, closing her eyes.

Kagome merely smiled and nodded slightly.

_It was quiet. The moon's rays fell down upon the gardens of the Western Castle, making the ground and plants seem to glow. This was the way it should be._

"_Sora-chan…"_

_She turned, seeing her mother smiling lightly at her as she walked over._

"_Can't sleep?"_

"_It's not that. I just wanted to stargaze, I guess." She replied, turning back to looking at the sky._

"_You doing that seems like a pun on your name." Her mother spoke, sitting down next to her with a light smile._

"_Ha, it does, doesn't it?" She asked, smiling as well. "But that's okay; Toushirou and Shirayuki like the winter, so it's not just me."_

"_Yes, me and your father chose your names well, it seems."_

"_There's always time to rename Hiro."_

"_To what?"_

"_Brat, Ingrate…take your pick."_

"_You don't mean that, Sora. You were the same when you were that age."_

"_No I wasn't." She replied, sitting up and turning to her mother. "When I was 15, I didn't go around picking fights with my older siblings and cousins."_

"_Only Toushirou."_

"_He doesn't count!"_

"_Sure, sure. Well," Her mother stood. "Don't stay out all night."_

"_Right."_

"Sora-chan."

"Dinner?" Sora asked, cracking an eye open as she looked up at Kagome.

"Yeah."

"Okay, thanks."

As Kagome moved back towards the pot of stew to start giving it out, Sora again found herself staring at the sky.

_A surefire pun._


	6. Meet My Family Be My Enemy

After eating dinner with still no sign of Sesshomaru, Sora mentioned the hot spring to both Sango and Rin as well, who both wanted to go, at Kagome's prompting.

"Hey…Can I come, too?"

"Maybe you should bathe with Miroku and Inuyasha this time, Shippo."

Shippo pouted, but gave in all the same, walking back towards Miroku and Inuyasha.

"Don't worry, Shippo, it happens to men like us." Miroku spoke, patting his head.

As Sora, Rin, Sango, and Kagome walked, Sora moved to the front of the small group, leading the way to the hot springs.

"So the place is well covered, Sora?" Sango asked.

"You think Miroku would really be that stupid?" Sora asked, looking back with a slightly raised eyebrow, but she nodded anyways. "Yeah, it's fine. Not to mention, Dad would most likely be nearby, and it's not like he'd let Miroku in…"

Rin nodded, although she hadn't quite gotten the conversation. "Lord Sesshomaru is always nearby!" She spoke, with a smile.

Sango and Kagome didn't speak, but they were surely thinking that the whole thing with Sesshomaru being nearby may be disconcerting and just a little creepy.

When the girls arrived at the hot spring, Sango and Kagome saw that the place was indeed well covered on all sides by a combination of trees and rocks. Sora merely grinned at the thought of a bath, and Rin also looked happy.

Unsurprisingly, Rin and Kagome, wearing the least, were in first. Sora and Sango soon followed. Upon entering the warm water, Sora sighed happily as she sank down into it so that only her nose and eyes were above water.

Rin swam around a little, not exactly the strongest swimmer, which is why she stayed where her feet could still touch the rock below.

Surfacing her head from the water, Sora's eyes narrowed slightly as she sniffed at the air, her eyes raised towards the sky.

"Do you smell something, Sora-chan?"

"…Yeah. It almost smells like-"

"AHHH!" SPLASH.

"Eek!"

Sora looked over towards the middle of the hot spring, where two elder teen boys were floating, spitting out water. She crossed her arms, looking bored and somewhat annoyed. "What are you two doing?"

"Ack!" One of them yelped, slapping a hand in front of his eyes. "Get dressed!"

She frowned, but, seeing as both were covering their eyes, stood and made her way out of the hot spring, pulling on her clothing. "Aunt Kagome, Sango, this would be your chance." She spoke, as she bent to help Rin out of the water.

The two merely nodded and exited the hot spring, quickly getting dressed as well.

"Is it safe?" The teen who'd spoken before asked, moving his fingers apart to peek out.

"Yes, Toushirou, it's safe."

"Phew!" Moving his hand away from his face, Toushirou sighed with relief as he and the other teen slowly made their way out of the water. "That was a close one, wasn't it, Hikaru?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"So how did you get here, anyways?" Sora asked, as Sesshomaru and Inuyasha arrived at the spring.

"Hikari-san." That was Hikaru.

"And Grams helped."

"Well, that explains where you landed. The two of them have such a screwed up sense of humor sometimes."

In the future, Hikari sneezed. Sesshomaru's mother chuckled.

"It seems insults cross time and space."

Hikari pouted. "That's really not nice of them, to talk about me behind my back."

"Well, what do you expect, compliments?"

"That would be nice."

Back in the past, the group was back at the camp, Sora sitting next to Toushirou and Hikaru, with one on either side. The rest of the group sat or stood on the other side of the fire, watching the two boys.

"Okay, so this," Sora pointed at Toushirou. "Is Toushirou."

Toushirou nodded slightly. His white hair was short, only reaching to the middle of his neck. His golden eyes were warm.

Sora now pointed at Hikaru. "And this is Hikaru, Uncle Inuyasha's eldest son."

Hikaru nodded. His white hair had bangs that fell into his eyes, and around his right eye there was a long scar that ran down his cheek and reached to right above his neck. "Mother. Father." He spoke, nodding at both Kagome and Inuyasha.

Kagome smiled. As of now, she really did like her son, even if he was a bit quiet. Talk about a bit of irony. Sesshomaru's kids were talkative, and yet Inuyasha's weren't, huh?

Toushirou grinned lightly before speaking. "Yeah, don't expect much talking from Hikaru over there. He just doesn't unless he has to, for some reason."

"So just what are you two doing here?" Sesshomaru asked, looking towards his son for an answer.

"Well, back in the future, you, Shirayuki, Hikari-san, and Grams are all working on getting Sora back that way, so I decided to come and help out on the warfront. And then Hikaru here decided to join me, and here we are."

Nodding slightly, Sesshomaru did not speak for a while. With Toushirou now here, he knew there was a very good chance he could get more information on the whole coughing up blood deal. He would have to ask a bit later on.

That later on came fairly soon.

Seeing as the girls had been denied their girl time by the sudden arrival of Hikaru and Toushirou, the men were shooed away, including Shippo. Sesshomaru, not about to bathe in the presence of those such as Inuyasha and Miroku however, walked away from the hot springs, Toushirou not far behind.

Once they were a fairly good distance away from the rest, Sesshomaru turned to Toushirou, wondering how best to phrase his next question.

Toushirou felt himself just a little creeped out at his father's gaze, but he didn't say anything, deciding to wait and see what was said.

"In your time," Sesshomaru began, turning away towards the direction of the campsite. "Sora has coughed up blood, correct?"

Toushirou's light, fairly friendly smile turned into a frown fast. "So she has here, huh." He spoke as a statement, as if he already knew the answer. "I thought I had a bad feeling about something."

Sesshomaru nodded. "She has, once. And she won't explain."

Toushirou nodded slightly, before speaking. "Yeah, I know why she does it. Although I do feel it's kind of weird that she never explained." He paused. "But maybe she should tell you, really. If it does happen again; I'm here now. I'll watch out for her, promise."

Sesshomaru merely nodded once more, eyes closed. "Fine."

Silence followed. Toushirou felt as though it was a bit awkward, so he spoke next. "Maybe we should be going back now." He said, looking towards the campsite. "The rest should be going back now."

Sesshomaru didn't reply, merely walking towards the camp silently. And so, with a shrug, Toushirou followed.

When they got back, the rest of the men were already there. Kagome was sitting next to Hikaru and Inuyasha, asking her son about his life, questions he would usually answer without much description. Sango and Miroku sat off a little to the side, talking about something. Shippo and Rin sat close to the fire, seeming content in just watching the flames, along with Sora who, after nodding in greeting to her father and brother, frowned, sniffing at the air.

"Smell something?" Toushirou asked, walking over.

Sora nodded slightly. "Yeah, kind of. I keep catching whiffs, but before I can figure out what it is, it's gone again."

"Must be downwind." Toushirou replied. "I haven't smelled anything, though. Maybe you just smell the springs?"

"Maybe."

"Hey! You sayin' we smell like sulfur?!"

The entire group looked up to see Tentou, Gouka, and Daichi plus what looked like thousands of demons of every sort. Every fighter in the group stood quickly, and Kirara transformed.

"Kagome! Take the kids and get out of here!" Inuyasha said, unsheathing Tessaiga as it transformed in one quick motion.

"Kirara, go with them!"

"You as well, Jaken."

The aforementioned demons and human nodded, before moving to get out of the way of the upcoming battle. Once they were far enough away by Inuyasha's calculations, he wielded the Tessaiga over his head and yelled;

"Wind Scar!"

The Wind Scar was right on target, and looked as though it would hit. But it stopped, hitting upon a suddenly appearing barrier and doing nothing. Gouka was sporting a grin.

"Gotta love barriers, huh?" He asked, unsheathing his sword. Once it was out of its sheath, the blade broke into three parts, making it three-pronged. Still grinning, he launched himself off the demon he'd been standing on, hurtling straight down towards Sora, who blocked his first attack with ease.

"So it was you I smelled." She growled, eyes narrowed as she pushed against his blade and jumped away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tentou and her father beginning to fight, as well as Daichi and Toushirou. Everyone else was busy trying to get rid of the demons.

"Perhaps we'd best go somewhere a bit more spacious." Gouka spoke, looking around at the other battles. "Wouldn't want to get interrupted or anything."

Before she could even answer, he jumped away, causing her to follow.

She was soon back in the trees, although not so close to the hot spring. Looking around, she couldn't catch sight of him, although she could smell him.

She heard rustling from behind and turned, just in time to block Gouka's attack, before he used his momentum to slam her up against a nearby tree. She opened her mouth to say something, but never managed to get it out as he smashed his lips against her own.


	7. Knight Watch

Sora pushed him away, trying to get away from the tree and retrieve her sword, which he'd knocked away.

His eyes narrowed, though, and he moved closer, holding her arms at her side as he put his face close to hers. "Stay still for a second and think about this. Do you know just how easily I can kill you right now?" He growled.

"Yeah, and which one of us has claws?" Sora growled back, making no movement after he squeezed her arms tighter.

"Listen to me for a minute." He spoke, glancing around. He didn't seem to see anything, so he spoke again. "You have to get something through your skull. Despite how your family has very little fear of death due to your Father's sword, you aren't immortal. And if you don't get smart about fighting, you're going to die for real here, faster than you can even say a dying word."

"Oh yeah? You gonna kill me?" Sora replied, acting as though she had no real problem with the position she was in at the moment.

"No, but Tentou's another story. And don't give me the crap that your Father can beat him, because we both know he stands almost no chance in this time."

She looked away without a reply, which was all the answer Gouka needed.

"I thought so. Look, I like this about as much as you do, but the most that can be done right now is to wait and see what happens. Maybe I'll keep you posted." He said, moving away and sheathing his sword.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, watching his back as he began to walk away.

He turned to look back at her and shrugged. "Why not?" He asked, before he was gone, leaving her still looking at where he'd been only moments before.

"Why not, huh?" She murmured, picking up her sword and placing it in her sheath, before standing and walking back to camp. She never noticed the Saimyosho as it flew off silently. "Idiot."

"Sora! Are you okay?"

She looked up at where Kagome and Toushirou were approaching and nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Gouka got away."

"So did Tentou and Daichi." Toushirou replied, running a hand through his hair. "No one's hurt, though."

"How did Dad's fight go?"

"Pretty well, I think. Tentou almost got some hits in, but Dad laid a nasty one on his arm."

"Not surprising."

"You get anything on Gouka, then?"

At his mention, Sora's thoughts turned back to when Gouka had kissed her, and the words he said after. "…No." She replied after a moment's pause, lightly touching her lips.

Toushirou merely nodded, before walking away, leaving Sora and Kagome standing there.

"Are you all right, Sora-chan?"

"Huh?" Sora looked up at her aunt, before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just out of it, I guess."

"Okay. Just making sure."

Sora nodded again, before walking back towards the campfire and sitting down.

"I believe that we should keep watch tonight, just in case. We don't know if they'll come back." Miroku said, standing next to Sango, also near the fire.

"It should be us demons." Toushirou spoke, sitting next to Sora. "We don't need as much sleep."

Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"I'll take first shift." Sora spoke before anyone else could. She glanced at Sesshomaru, who was sitting far away, as always. He didn't speak.

"Second." Toushirou spoke next, a small grin on his face. He, too, glanced over at their father, and seemed to shrug lightly.

"Third." Hikaru spoke quietly.

Inuyasha blinked, feeling as though he had missed something. "Uh…Fourth?"

"That's the spirit, Uncle Inuyasha!" Toushirou spoke with a grin.

"What about Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, looking over at the demon who showed no sign that he had heard.

"In Mom's words, he's pissed off because he couldn't kill Tentou. Just don't bother him." Sora spoke after glancing once again at her father.

Toushirou nodded slightly, eyes closed. "Yeah, leave him alone, and he probably won't kill you."

"He won't." Hikaru spoke, seeing the somewhat shocked look on his mother's face. "Like Sora said, just don't bother him."

"That's the most you've said all night, Hikaru." Sora grinned lightly. "But seeing as it's getting late, maybe you should all get some sleep."

Toushirou nodded slightly in reply, and almost immediately leaned back, his arms crossed behind his head. He looked over at his sister. "Just wake me up once you're getting tired, Sora."

"Yeah, yeah. I will."

Toushirou nodded again, and said nothing else.

As the rest of the camp began to settle into their own sleeping arrangements, Sora leaned back some, holding herself up with her elbows. She was silent, watching the fire.

Sesshomaru was watching her, not speaking. She could sense his eyes on the back of her head and bit back a smile. "Anything wrong, Dad?"

There was a pause, but she didn't turn to look back at him, waiting for him to speak.

"…I wonder why you bother to set up a watch." He finally spoke, seeing her turn to look at him.

Sora smiled lightly. "For the humans' peace of mind." She replied, sitting up.

Raising an eyebrow, Sesshomaru watched his daughter. "You care that much?"

She shrugged, turning towards the sky. "No, not for most of them. But Hikaru and Uncle Inuyasha do."

Sesshomaru nodded slightly, understanding that his children seemed to be quite family-oriented in the future. Not too bad a thing, he supposed. He also noticed that she again was looking up towards the sky. "Do you do that often?"

"Huh? Oh…yeah. I do it a lot when I'm thinking. It's a habit I've picked up."

"I see." He spoke with another nod. "Who did you pick it up from?"

"You." She spoke with a light smile.

"Ah."

They fell into silence as the fire slowly began to burn out, which was broken only by a sudden, loud yawn.

"You still awake, Sora?" Toushirou asked, sitting up and rubbing an eye.

"Yeah. You think I'm gonna fall asleep on watch?"

"You've done it before."

"Wha-Have not!"

"Have so. Remember when we were little and we were watching for Santa? It was your turn and you fell asleep before you could wake me up."

"Oh yeah..."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering just who this "Santa" person was, and what he was doing in the castle...?

"Anyways, you can go to sleep now. After all, we'll probably have a big day tomorrow...or not. But hey, you never know."

"...Eh, I suppose I might as well." Sora sighed, sensing a yawn coming on and not feeling like being a cliche of a tired person staying up too late. "Night, then."

"Yeah. Night."

As Sora curled up on the ground, she closed her eyes. She was fairly close to the fire, and the orange light danced against her closed eyelids. The shifting of cloth near her meant Toushirou was moving, and she didn't notice much else as she drifted off to sleep.

_"Take this!"_

_"That's all you've got?"_

_"Shut up!"_

_Grinning, Sora cracked her neck and her fingers. "Are you a cat demon or a dog demon?" She asked._

_"I said shut up!"_

_Sora caught his hand, still grinning. "Now, now, Hiro. Relax."_

_"Urgh!" Hiro pulled his hand away quickly, growling. "Do you ever listen?!"_

_"Nee-chan!"_

_Both turned to see a young boy running up and to Sora. He was breathing hard._

_"Riku? What's up?" Sora crouched, putting a hand on the young boy's head._

_"Nee-chan, nee-chan..." He put his arms around her, or tried to, at least._

_"Shh..." Sora patted his back, still crouching. "Where's Toushirou?"_

_"He...He..." Riku hiccuped, and Sora felt the breath force itself from her lungs._

_"Is he fighting?" She asked softly, and Riku, hiccuping again, nodded._

_Letting go of her brother, Sora turned to Hiro. "Watch Riku." She spoke, her eyes glinting dangerously in the setting sunlight. "Don't you dare come fight."_

_Hiro's eyes narrowed. "Why not?!"_

_"Because you'll get in my way." And with that, she jumped off, leaving Hiro and Riku in the clearing._

_Sora arrived at the place not too far from where she and Hiro had been, and from where she'd smelled Toushirou. Her eyes widened in surprise when instead of her twin, she saw Tentou, Gouka, and Daichi._

_She growled. "Where is he?"_

_"Who? Oh, your dear brother." Tentou smirked lightly. "Who knows?"_

_She jumped forward, claws out, and was just about to hit Tentou when he grabbed her hand, smiling._

_"Let's kick it up a notch."_

_Daichi smiled as well, and, after he had made a few hand signs, a large hole opened up in the sky._

_"Say goodbye to your family...wherever they are."_

Then Sora awoke, breathing heavily and only barely suppressing her urge to cough. "Ugh." She muttered, looking around the camp. "Close one."

Toushirou was snoring nearby, his mouth wide open and his arms and legs splayed in all different directions.

Hikaru was dozing peacefully, his legs pushed straight out, one arm on his chest and the other on the ground next to him.

Everyone else was also asleep, except, of course, her father. She looked over at him, though, surprisingly, he wasn't gazing over at her, but the sky.

"...Do you smell that?" He asked finally, yet not turning to her still.

"Smell what?" She replied, eyebrows furrowed.

"The smell..."

He finally looked over at her, solemn and calm.

"...Of death."


End file.
